I Have an Axe to Grind Trivia Quiz

Answer: to have a hidden agenda

The meaning of this rather common idiom has been the object of some debate. According to some sources, the original meaning is "to have a hidden agenda" - as documented in a story attributed to Benjamin Franklin, in which a man uses flattery in order to get a young boy to sharpen his axe.

The meaning "to have a grievance" seems to be more recent, with the axe intended - in a very literal way - as an instrument of retribution.

Answer: stone

Hand axes - pear-shaped, pointed tools made of roughly chipped or flaked stone - looked quite different from their modern counterparts. They were used as far back as 1.6 million years ago, probably for tasks such as hunting, chopping wood, and digging for food or water. Hand axes were usually made of flint, a kind of stone that lends itself to being worked with another hard object (a process called knapping).

As their name implied, these implements were held in the hand; in later specimens the stone heads were fastened to a wooden handle.

Answer: electrician

Miners, carpenters and firefighters have given their name to different kinds of axes. A firefighter's axe is primarily used to break down windows and doors, while a carpenter's axe is a smaller, hatchet-like tool used in woodwork. The miner's axe originated in Central Europe (especially the Erzgebirge, or Ore Mountains, on the border between Germany and the Czech Republic) in the Middle Ages, and was used when mining for copper, silver and tin.

In later centuries, as the mining activity in those regions dwindled (the last mines were closed down in the 1990s), these tools developed into elaborate ceremonial insignia.

Modern-day miner's axes are used for gardening and chopping wood.

Answer: Gimli

The Dwarf Gimli is one of the members of the Fellowship of the Ring, the nine companions who leave from Rivendell in a seemingly hopeless quest to destroy the One Ring. Tolkien's Dwarves use battle axes as their main weapon, as shown by the many illustrators of the English author's work, and also in Peter Jackson's film trilogies based on "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit".

In Tolkien's legendarium, Dwarves are depicted as master craftsmen, and associated with mining and treasure - just like they were in Norse mythology, which was the main source for their creation.

Answer: Gene Simmons

In rock music parlance, a guitar is often referred to as an axe. However, Gene Simmons of veteran NYC band Kiss took things a bit further, and had an axe-shaped bass custom-built for him. This menacing-looking instrument, reminiscent of an executioner's axe, perfectly complements Simmons' "Demon" stage persona - which also involves fire-breathing and spitting fake blood. The Axe bass, authorized and signed by Simmons himself, can be bought from manufacturer Cort.

Answer: The Shining

Based on Stephen King's novel of the same title, "The Shining" was directed by Stanley Kubrick, and released in 1980. It is considered one of the masterpieces of psychological horror, and one of Nicholson's finest performances. The firefighter's axe used by Nicholson in the climactic scene of the film replaced the mallet that appeared in the original novel.

Answer: Minoan

The symmetrical double-bladed axe called "labrys" in Greek and "bipennis" in Latin originated on the Greek island of Crete, where it was associated with female deities. The word "labyrinth", which originally denoted the palace of Knossos, is probably connected to "labrys".

In other parts of the region, notably Asia Minor (from which the word may have originated), the labrys was instead associated with Zeus as a storm god, and represented the thunderbolt. In modern times, the labrys has been adopted by feminist movements as a symbol of matriarchy, as well as by neo-pagan and far-right groups.

Answer: Pink Floyd

Written by all four band members (Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Rick Wright and Nick Mason), "Careful With That Axe, Eugene" was released as a single in December 1968. An outstanding live version of this track - which builds up to a crescendo, culminating with Waters' frightening scream - was included on "Ummagumma" (1969). My personal favourite version, however, is the one from the "Live at Pompeii" film (1972), filmed at night and accompanied by footage of a volcanic eruption.

In 1970 the song was re-recorded to appear on the soundtrack of Michelangelo Antonioni's film "Zabriskie Point", with the title of "Come In, Number 51, Your Time Is Up".

Answer: Ganesha

Pot-bellied, elephant-headed Ganesha is one of the Hindu pantheon's most worshipped deities. He is the god of wisdom, and the patron of arts, sciences and letters. Ganesha is traditionally represented with four arms, and one of his upper hands holds an axe, used to sever his human followers' ties to the material world.

In some representations of the god, the axe is replaced by a goad, which helps him to remove the obstacles on humankind's path.

Answer: fasces

In ancient Rome, the fasces was carried by a civil servant called a lictor, who attended the magistrates of the Empire. It represented a magistrate's authority and power to administer corporal and capital punishment. Not surprisingly, Benito Mussolini - who in 1921 founded the National Fascist Party with a mind to recreating the glories of the Roman Empire - adopted some of those ancient symbols.

The symbol of the fasces is also used extensively in other countries, such as the US, France and Norway.